A Pirate Birthday Party - Treasure Chest Cake

THE CAKE - Chocolate Cake Recipe Here

The Base

The Detail

The Colouring - we painted on a mixture of 'Cake Decorators Rose Spirit' combined with 'AmeriColor 104 Chocolate Brown'

The Assembly

The End Product!

THE FOOD

Pirate Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

3/4 tspn baking soda

1/2 tspn baking powder

1 1/4 cups of flour

1/4 tspn salt

Oven 170

Cream butter and sugar

Mix in the rest of the ingredients

Roll into balls and place on lined baking tray leaving enough room in between each one for them to spread out

Bake for 8 - 12 min until slightly golden brown

Leave to cool on tray

** These were very sweet, next time I will either add a little more flour and a touch of milk or use slightly less sugar

Lots of Little Cookies - Great for Lunch Boxes

500g margarine/butter

1 cup brown sugar

4 table spoons of cocoa

3/4 cup of small choc chips (optional)

5 cups self-raising flour

1 tin condensed milk

Cream butter and sugar

Add condensed milk and cocoa and mix well

Add flour and combine until the mixture comes together to form a soft dough

Roll 1/2 teaspoons of mixture into a ball

Pop them on a well greased tray and flatten with your thumb

Push a choc chip into the top of each biscuit.

Bake in a moderate oven for 10-12 minutes or until just beginning to brown.

I cooked for 7min on 160deg

It is better to under rather than over bake these biscuits. This recipe makes LOTS of biscuits. Over 100 regular sized and many more tiny ones. The dough freezes very well, so cook as many as you like for now, then roll the dough into a sausage, wrap and freeze for later.

Thanks Kristy for sharing the recipe

picklebums - thousands of biscuits

Hokey Pokey Biscuits

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/2 cup butter

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon (large) golden syrup

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

Turn oven on to 180.

Melt the first five ingredients together in a saucepan , stirring.

Take off the stove and leave to cool.

Sift the flour, cinnamon and baking soda together

Stir the lot into the melted mixture.

Roll the mixture into small balls and place on a cold ungreased oven tray,

Flatten them slightly with the hands, leaving room for some spreading.

Flatten more with a fork that has been dipped in water, so you get a ridged effect.

Bake for 15 minutes until they are rich golden brown. Take out leave to cool. As they cool they will harden.

NOTES : I doubled the recipe and changed a few things, see original below.

Blokes Who Bake : Thanks EBB for the link

Butter Cookies

500g flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
200g sugar
Dash of vanilla
250g chilled butter

Combine all ingredients and mix to form a smooth dough.
Refrigerate for 30-40min
Roll out to a thickness of about 3mm and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
Place on a greased baking tray and bake at 175 for 8-12 mins

Gingerbread men or cookies

125g butter, at room temperature
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
1 egg, separated
375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Plain flour, to dust
150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
8-10 drops red liquid food colouring
8-10 drops green liquid food colouring
Smarties, to decorate

Line 2 baking trays
Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.
Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined.
Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
Press dough into a disc.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl.
Beat until soft peaks form.
Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Divide icing among 3 bowls.
Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
Add red colouring to 1 bowl and stir until combined.
Add green colouring to remaining bowl and stir until combined.
Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes.
Place on trays about 3cm apart.
Repeat with any excess dough.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown.
Remove from oven.
Transfer to a rack to cool.
Place prepared icings in small plastic bags.
Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag.
Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate.
Finish with Smarties.

Notes
Allow 30 minutes resting time.

Recipe from Taste.com.au

COOKIE TIME COOKIES

225g butter
3/4C sugar
3/4C brown sugar
1tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2C flour
1/2tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
1C choc chips or buttons

Creams butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and eggs one at a time.
Mix together dry ingredients, except choc and add to butter mix.
Stir in choc.
Place dessertspoon full blobs onto greases baking tray - allow plenty of room for spreading. (We usually have to do a couple of trays).
Bake 180C for 15 mins.

FORGOTTEN COOKIES

*DON'T THINK MUCH OF THESE, WON'T BOTHER TO COOK AGAIN*

2 egg whites
120g caster sugar
120g walnuts, roughly chopped
150g dark chocolate chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 180 deg

- it must be completely hot not just up to temperature.
Line 2 baking sheets with foil

[ note: I did use foil & not baking paper as I wondered if it was a heat-retention requirement]
Whisk eggwhites with a good pinch of salt until stiff & dry.
Gradually whisk in sugar a little at a time to make a thick and glossy meringue.
Tip in the nuts, chocolate and vanilla and gently fold in
Spoon heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture (no larger)

spaced apart, onto the sheets. [they don't spread much]
Put in the oven and immediately turn it off.

Leave without disturbing overnight.
In the morning carefully peel the cookies from the foil

Store in an airtight container for 1 week.

- ha ha if they last that long!!

I just realised I forgot the vanilla extract.
Also I had 150g of whittakers dark almond, so I just used that and no extra choc or nuts.

Thanks Jacqui :o)